Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[rebrascora]

Hi chicken garden lady

I'm no expert, by any means, as my first broody chicks are only 5 weeks old, but I wouldn't worry too much about the eggs/nest/broody being soiled. I was horrified to discover 2 days before hatch that my broody had soiled her nest badly and almost all the eggs(14 of them) were caked in it and the nest matted with it. There was nothing I could do at that stage but I was convinced that the chicks would develop some horrible disease and die within a few days, as I had read that hatching eggs needed to be clean.
Despite the disgusting mess, all 14 eggs successfully hatched and were healthy. I lost one chick at 4 weeks old, but I am pretty sure that it was nothing to do with the dirty nest and the other 13 are still going strong.
In fact I did wonder if the hen had done it deliberately to create extra humidity in the nest..... if you think about it, she has no other way of increasing moisture and in nature they would probably be nesting on the ground which would be damp from dew etc rather than in a wooden box up a height as we often give them. Not saying that is definitely the case, but nature is much cleverer than we are and sometimes we think we know best when we don't. You might be actually hindering rather than helping her by cleaning things up. I know I'm really pleased I left her to it.
Anyway, I wouldn't give up on things just yet. It's surprising how the eggs may feel cold but still have retained enough warmth in the middle to survive. Trust your broody as I did mine and hopefully she will reward you.

Best wishes

Barbara

 

[OzarkCountryGirl]

The eggs under my little broody Welsh Harlequin have started hatching today (yeah, I didn't have any fertile duck eggs, so I had to go with what I had). She was hissing the entire time I was snapping the photos.

 

[Meadowchick]

I have been hatching in an incy off and on since Spring, but got a good deal on 18 pure Ameraucana eggs ... will get them this coming Wednesday...and wouldn't you know it one of my Black Star hens has gone broody!

I am sooo tempted to let her try to hatch those eggs. It has been really hot and humid here in SW La. so I am wondering if that will affect her hatch rate. She has been fluffing up and fussing at everyone for about 3 days now.

Can anybody answer how high temps and atmospheric humidity will affect hatching naturally??? I know some will swear by high humidity in their incubators is really bad until the last 3 days.

ALSO I didn't expect my BlackStar to go broody; I thought it had been bred out of them....anybody else have this happen with theirs or any other sex-link???

 

[Sydney Acres]

Thanks for responding. This is my first hatch attempt .In the beginning she was so determined I finally moved her to the tractor and gave her a f ew eggs. She was doing very well until the butt thing. Unfortunately this morning she was standing in the nest again and the eggs were cool. Let her out to eat and do her business, she just seems to have lost her broodiness. Maybe the coolness of damp butt feathers interfered, not sure. This afternoon I changed the straw under the eggs thinking it might be soiled when i peeked at her and she was standing next to her nest. The eggs felt warmish. Its hot and humid here today, not sure if that will help at this point. Any chance there is still hope?

If the eggs felt warmish than mom is doing her job. Nature allows for the hen to get off the nest once in a while. Eggs don't die if they get cold -- they die if they get too cold for too long. Broodies are usually very good judges of what their eggs can tolerate. Brinsea, a manufacturer of mid- and high-end incubators, has incorporated intermittent daily cooling into their incubation programs, and have found that the chicks hatch earlier and more vigorous than chicks maintained at a constant incubation temperature. So there is definitely hope that they may hatch.

 

[Meadowchick]

You can still put some little short toothpick splints on her toes with vetwrap cut in very thin slices. Maybe make a little "duck foot" for the bottom and try surgical tape. I have straightened several for a friend that way and you can't tell it in 2-3 days. They trip a lot at first but compensate pretty quickly. And... there are certain vitamins or minerals that the hen could have been needing too, but would have to look that up...I think I found it on here under Splayed Feet or something similar. Hope that helps!

 

[Meadowchick]

loobyloo88...that previous post is for you....sorry folks, I am still getting the hang of this...

 

[ochochicas]

I have been hatching in an incy off and on since Spring, but got a good deal on 18 pure Ameraucana eggs ... will get them this coming Wednesday...and wouldn't you know it one of my Black Star hens has gone broody!

I am sooo tempted to let her try to hatch those eggs. It has been really hot and humid here in SW La. so I am wondering if that will affect her hatch rate. She has been fluffing up and fussing at everyone for about 3 days now.

Can anybody answer how high temps and atmospheric humidity will affect hatching naturally??? I know some will swear by high humidity in their incubators is really bad until the last 3 days.

ALSO I didn't expect my BlackStar to go broody; I thought it had been bred out of them....anybody else have this happen with theirs or any other sex-link???

I don't see any reason why you couldn't give her some eggs. I think 18 is too many for one hen, so you might want to experiment with giving her some and putting the rest in the incubator. If she's never hatched eggs before you could give her 6 and put the other dozen in the incubator. I put a dozen under my hen and it was a couple too many. I think she can do 10 max. A couple of times I found an egg in the corner and it was cold. I just don't think she could fit them all under her.

 

[Sydney Acres]

I have been hatching in an incy off and on since Spring, but got a good deal on 18 pure Ameraucana eggs ... will get them this coming Wednesday...and wouldn't you know it one of my Black Star hens has gone broody!

I am sooo tempted to let her try to hatch those eggs. It has been really hot and humid here in SW La. so I am wondering if that will affect her hatch rate. She has been fluffing up and fussing at everyone for about 3 days now.

Can anybody answer how high temps and atmospheric humidity will affect hatching naturally??? I know some will swear by high humidity in their incubators is really bad until the last 3 days.

ALSO I didn't expect my BlackStar to go broody; I thought it had been bred out of them....anybody else have this happen with theirs or any other sex-link???

I've not personally had a sex-linked hybrid go broody, but there are several posts on this and other threads of an occasional sex-linked hen that didn't get the memo, and most of them reportedly make great mothers.

There are a number of people on this thread from the deep south, and they seem to do fine with natural incubation. Chickens can tolerate and reproduce in a wide range of climates, and I believe they originated in the Indonesian Islands (I might have the exact location wrong, but in that area of the world) where it is quite hot and humid. So it might be worth a try. If you've got 18 eggs that's really too many to put under a first time broody anyway, so you can put 6-8 under the hen and the rest in the incubator. If they're shipped eggs then your hatch rate probably won't be great, so you'll likely get a small enough clutch of chicks that develop that you can keep whatever eggs start in the incubator there to hatch, and then graft them under the broody after the chicks dry. And any that develop under her can hatch under her. It could be you own little broody vs. incubator experiment.

 

[bobbieschicks]

I have been hatching in an incy off and on since Spring, but got a good deal on 18 pure Ameraucana eggs ...  will get them this coming Wednesday...and wouldn't you know it one of my Black Star hens has gone broody! 

I am sooo tempted to let her try to hatch those eggs.  It has been really hot and humid here in SW La. so I am wondering if that will affect her hatch rate.  She has been fluffing up and fussing at everyone for about 3 days now. 

Can anybody answer how high temps and atmospheric humidity will affect hatching naturally???  I know some will swear by high humidity in their incubators is really bad until the last 3 days.

ALSO  I didn't expect my BlackStar to go broody; I thought it had been bred out of them....anybody else have this happen with theirs or any other sex-link???

I didn't expect my RIR to be a broody but she has hatched out 3 WL chicks for me. My experience with broody versus bator is that using the broody in brooding chicks is the best thing for getting healthy chicks with minimal intervention. I get about the same hatch rate using shipped eggs for bator versus broody.

I have put eggs into a bator and let the bator do the turning and then transferred to a broody to finish hatching on day 14 with good results. The thing is that 18 eggs won't equal 18 chicks, especially if they are shipped eggs. I put 18 eggs under three broody girls and ended up with 3 chicks, we are in Virginia on the coast where "hot and humid" are typical summer words.

I'd recommend starting the eggs in the bator, candling them on days 3 & 14, and transferring any remaining developing eggs to the broody. Developing eggs doesn't equal hatching eggs, so the numbers may not equal what you transfer. She could handle 8-10 chicks easily with the temps and size of the broody. Remember that she will keep them covered and safe until about week four.

 

[Meadowchick]

Thanks for the input, Bobbie! I think I will take your advice and put em in the bator first and then cull as you suggested. I my hen quits her nest, I can just leave em where they are. If not motherhood will be in her near future!

It's good to discuss these things with an experienced hand. I had really terrible results with my first incubator not holding reliable temps, so I sent it back and got a different one which does a good job. I would hate to lose all these incoming eggs, and wouldn't have ordered them in this heat if I had not been assured they would be really fresh when I got them. They won't be shipped very far...one day in my state...so if I just get a few live lovely blue-green layers, my heart will be thrilled!!!

Have a blessed day and THANKS!